Ducks step into the fashion world

Click on the above "Photos" tab for a sneak peek at the Lady Ducks Fashion Show

COSTA MESA -- Ducks right winger Mike Brown kneeled down in front of the fitting rooms at the Quiksilver store in South Coast Plaza last week and told his new 9-year-old friend and hockey fan, Zach Torres, that he looked "cool."

Zach smiled. The pro hockey player, not exactly a wardrobe stylist or personal shopper, had helped him select his clothes: a black jacket, a gray-striped collared shirt over a white tee and black pants.

"Really, we picked it out together," said Brown. "This won't be a career for me, but it was fun. I guess they didn't want me to model."

This was a sweet moment that connected a down-to-earth, T-shirt-and-jeans-wearing pro athlete with a kid who has been through a lot in his young life. The Ducks do this a lot, reaching out to youngsters, especially those like Zach, who began his life with a diagnosis of leukemia at 2 and spent too many childhood days at Childrens Hospital Orange County.

What is bringing the Ducks and CHOC children together is the third Lady Ducks Fashion Show, a charity event that will be held Feb. 5 at the Pelican Hill Resort.

Brown, defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, their wives, Katie and Lene, and right winger Teemu Selanne's wife Sirpa guided eight CHOC children between racks and stacks of surfer and skateboarding apparel to select outfits that they will wear down the show's runway. Meanwhile, eight other Ducks were getting fit, some in clothes they would never think about wearing.

In the second floor men's casual section of Saks Fifth Avenue, Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf emerged from a dressing room not in sweater, padded pants and skates but a zipped-up Zenga leather jacket, a black scarf, designer jeans and loafers. He stared at himself in a full length mirror before his girlfriend Paige Larsen said, "You need a hat."

She handed him a fedora, which he proudly flipped on this crown, then spun around with a Vogue model's pride. Then, never one to take himself so seriously, he laughed at his rebellious appearance.

"Never wore a leather jacket before," said Getzlaf, peering at the $1,400 price tag. "All I need now is a bike. I want to take this home and wear it. I like the look. That, however, I don't."

Getzlaf eyed Ducks right winger Corey Perry, standing impishly in the corner with a light jacket over a graphic tee, jeans and a long scarf around his neck.

"Too bad you'll only be able to turn left on the runway," quipped Perry, who had several defensive shots to take at the teammates who had teased him earlier when he strode out to model plaid shorts.

Perry was apparently the sacrificial Duck randomly chosen to show some skin. Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer remarked that Perry's wardrobe was fitting, given that "Corey, you have the perfect legs to do it. They're awesome: nice, skinny, white and pasty!"

Clearly Ducks out of frozen water in the fashion sense, they were good sports, donning whatever wardrobe Rachel Jackson-Smith, Saks' marketing director and resident fashionista, delivered to them on wood hangers.

"These are my models today, and I didn't know much about them beyond their sizes," said an amused Jackson-Smith, whose lifetime hockey exposure had consisted of attending one game. "Surprisingly, they wore what I brought them, even if they felt a little bit awkward at first."

For the players, some squirming like eels out of water, shedding their typical no-iron, no-dry-cleaning-necessary apparel to sport Armani, Versace, designer jeans and in two cases, man purses – excuse me, satchels – was a worthy undertaking for their wives and significant others who've been planning this yearly showcase since September.

"Every year it gets a little more exciting and entertaining," said Lisa Niedermayer, Scott's wife and the organizing committee chair. "I can't wait to see what the guys will wear."

Some players seemed so self-conscious that they might rather hit the runway while wearing a goalie mask, ski mask or a heavy, white-feathered Wild Wing suit.

So it's suits for Niedermayer and George Parros, not a complete departure from what they wear to travel for road games. The two Prius drivers played, "Guess how much this cost?" with clothes they randomly pulled from the racks. Their guesses were usually low – by a handful of Benjamins.

Getzlaf and Perry will be wearing more night-out-with-friends attire. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, making his third modeling appearance, seemed happy to strut around without 50 pounds of goalie padding and accessories, will button up an Armani sport coat over a striped sweater.

Goaltender Jonas Hiller and center Saku Koivu's wardrobe was kept under wraps. Selanne, who is also modeling for his third show and wasn't present during this fitting because of his broken jaw, will be wearing a Versace jacket with a metallic sheen. At the inaugural fashion show, the good-humored Selanne opened with a few seconds of a striptease before modeling his designer suit.

We can't expect Selanne to do a pole dance at this year's event with children present. This show, where tables begin a $2,500 and are still available by calling Anaheim Ducks Community Relations at 877-WILDWING, is to raise money for the children at CHOC.

It's for kids like Daniel Young, 6, of Chino Hills, who was born with four congenital heart defects and had the first of his two surgeries when he was just three months old. It's for Zach Torres, 9, and Katie Gerberding, 8, who have battled leukemia.

It's for the smiling, dancing and healthy Alexys Alonzo, 5, of Corona, who had surgery when she was just 14 months old to repair three veins that went from lungs to the wrong part of her heart. She opened her arms and her heart to the Ducks, who gave her a day she would never forget.

On this day, there were many models. The Ducks have proven again to be much-needed models as pro athletes.